4k UHD Review: Zack Snyder's Justice League

 

+++ Warning, minor spoilers ahead +++

This is the cut of the movie, Justice League, that was released in 2021, which gets as close to Zack Snyder's original vision for the film as possible.  It stars Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds, and Amy Adams. It also includes actors whose roles were reduced or removed from the theatrical version, such as Jared Leto, Ray Porter, Harry Lennix, Amber Heard, Joe Manganiello, and Willem Dafoe. It also expands Jesse Eisenberg's role as Lex Luthor and substantially changes Amy Adams' role from the theatrical cut. Snyder's original vision was for a Justice League trilogy of films. Of course, Zack Snyder had to drop out of directing Justice League during filming due to a death in his family. At that point, WB decided to make it a single, stand-alone movie and brought Joss Whedon, who had helmed many of the very successful MCU movies, to finish it. Since Snyder originally intended to have a Justice League trilogy, a ton of content was cut out when it was turned into a stand-alone film. Whedon also re-shot some portions of the movie, mainly to add humor to the movie and make it "less dark" than Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman had been. The resulting theatrical version went over like a lead balloon (I think in large part because of Whedon's rumored behavior on set), and pretty much ever since the theatrical release, fans have clamored for and demanded the "Snyder Cut". The result is a four-hour-long movie that shows the direction Snyder had intended to take the films. 

As I mentioned above, Snyder had envisioned a Justice League trilogy of movies, with this movie split in two, and the third movie set in the nightmare world that we saw a glimpse of in Batman v. Superman. The biggest change from the movie's theatrical version is that Steppenwolf was not really the "big bad" of the film. In this cut, he is essentially a lackey trying to get back into the good graces of Darkseid after being banished from Apokolips. Lois's involvement in this cut of the movie is much different, and we get to see Martian Manhunter, who was removed entirely from the theatrical version. The characters of Cyborg and Flash are developed a lot more in this movie than in the theatrical version, and you get a lot more of each of their backstories (especially Cyborg). 

I have the UK import Steelbook. Like the US domestic release, it is a four-disc set with two UHD discs and two regular blu-ray discs. The movie is split into two parts, probably where Snyder had intended to stop the first movie had he been able to execute his original plan, with a little over half the film on the first disc and a little under half on the second. The first disc has the first two hours and forty-one minutes of the movie, and the second disc has the last hour and a half (approximately, excluding the credits). The UK import also has a 24-minute making-of feature that details how the Snyder Cut came to be and includes interviews with the cast and crew. Unfortunately, there is no commentary track on the movie. The UHD discs are region-free and will play on US players, and I believe the regular Blu-ray discs are Region-2 locked. But, there are no additional extras on the regular Blu-rays, so you do not have to watch them.

Overall, this cut of the movie is much better than the theatrical version. While I do not think the theatrical version is as awful as some paint it, it is definitely a lot more flawed than this cut (which, admittedly, has its own flaws). There are rumors that WB might restore the Snyderverse and let Snyder make the movie's third installment, but for now, the theatrical version is the official DCEU canon. I personally like the darker, edgier tone that this movie takes (it is rated R, mainly because of a couple of f-bombs that get dropped), and respect that they did not try to be a carbon copy of the MCU movies. That said, Ezra Miller's quips in the theatrical version were great, and while a couple of them made it into this one (including wondering whether Wonder Woman would go for a younger man), that is really the only thing I missed from that version. This is definitely worth checking out.

4kUHD Review: Justice League (Theatrical Cut)

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the movie+++

The theatrical version of Justice League was released in 2017. It continues the story that started in Man of Steel, and is the direct sequel to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot return to reprise their roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Clark Kent/Superman, and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. The new heroes introduced in this film are Flash (played by Ezra Miller), Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher). Many of the supporting cast members from the previous films, including Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J.K. Simmons, also appear in this one. 

The theatrical cut of the film is definitely a mixed bag. As many are aware, during post-production, Zack Snyder had to step down due to a death in his family. During that time, WB decided, instead of doing a Justice League trilogy of films as Snyder envisioned, to make this a stand-alone movie. They brought in Joss Whedon to complete the production, which involved removing several story elements and conducting reshoots that significantly altered the overall storyline. After the tepid reception to the film by fans and critics, Whedon was blamed for ruining the movie, and indeed, his additions range from chuckle-worthy to downright stupid. There was, of course, his on-set behavior that was leaked out by Ray Fisher and later confirmed by Gal Gadot, which then caused an avalanche of accusations about him going as far back as when he was working on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, and pretty much ended (for now) his career. However, it is clear that Warner Brothers really was the entity that fucked up this movie, and caused a version of the movie that was totally out of place with the movies that had come before it was released.

As mentioned above, Zack Snyder had intended for Justice League to be a three-part story, with this movie split into two parts (which he essentially got to do with the Snyder Cut of the film four years after the theatrical release) then a third movie set in the nightmare world that was teased in Batman v. Superman. However, when Snyder had to step away from the movie, Whedon was brought in to cut the running time and make it a stand-alone film. The result is a mishmash of Snyder's story with Whedon's additions (mainly to add humor, as WB thought the DC movies were too dark and wanted to infuse some of what worked for the MCU into their movies). For the most part, the theatrical version is stuff Snyder filmed, with some changes like tweaks to the battle with Superman when he is brought back to life, Lois' role in the movie, the race between Flash and Superman at the end, and the really dumb subplot of the family living next door to the contaminated nuclear reactor (which was a fictional Chornobyl) who (for some reason) did not leave the second the aliens showed up. The biggest change in this version is Steppenwolf's arc (as well as his look), so a lot of his dialogue ended up changing.  And, the post-credits scene was quite different than the scene that came at the end of Snyder's version. But what Whedon cut was far more substantial than what he added (which is why Snyder still got the directing credit). 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. The A/V quality is outstanding, and the film looks and sounds wonderful in the UHD format. The UHD disc only contains the movie itself, and the standard blu-ray disc includes the movie and bonus material. The bonus content includes multiple behind-the-scenes features (clearly shot when Snyder was still on set, as Whedon was nowhere to be seen), deleted scenes, and a gag reel. There are also some featurettes on how the Justice League has evolved from the comics to the various animated series to live-action. It is a decent amount of material for those who like watching the bonus content. 

Overall, the movie is not as bad as its reputation suggests, but it was definitely not as good as the movie Snyder intended to make. I still think WB/DC would have been better off establishing the main characters through solo movies first, as was done with the main heroes in the MCU movies, then bringing them together for the big team-up. However, diverting from what Snyder had set up made the problematic DCEU even worse, as this movie feels out of place. Ultimately, it is worth watching if nothing else to compare and contrast with the Snyder cut of the movie, but it is not a film that needs multiple viewings. 

4k UHD/Movie Review: Wonder Woman

 

Wonder Woman is the 2017 entry in the "Snyderverse" version of the DCEU. It is the follow-up to Batman v. Superman, telling Diana's origin story (mostly through flashbacks during World War I. There are a couple of scenes set in the present that have tie-ins to both Batman v. Superman and the upcoming (at that point) Justice League movie, but most of the movie is set in the past. It was directed by Patty Jenkins and starred Gal Gadot (reprising her role from Batman v. Superman), Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, and David Thewlis.

This movie was one that people saw as saving the DCEU, as pretty much all of the other movies had been shit on by critics, unfairly for the most part. However, this movie had a lot better character development and setup, and honestly, it should have been a follow-up to Man of Steel. I think if the sequence of films had gone Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, a stand-alone Batman movie to introduce Ben Affleck's version of Batman/Bruce Wayne as well as Joker and Harley Quinn, then Batman v Superman, the Snyderverse would have fared much better than it did.

As I mentioned above, most of the story in this movie is set during World War I. There are some scenes with a young Diana growing up on Themyscira, but the bulk of the story comes after Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine) accidentally ends up in Themyscira while fleeing the Germans. He tells Diana about the war, and she is convinced that it is the doing of the god Aries, and sets out to find and kill Aries. From there, it is mostly a period piece with Diana trying to integrate into early 1900s society, help fight in battles, and aid Trevor and his team to find a weapon being developed by an evil German doctor. 

For those who get the 4K disc, it is a two-disc set with just the movie on the UHD disc and all the extras on a regular Blu-ray disc. The movie looks and sounds great in UHD, especially if you have a large screen and a soundbar. There are over two hours' worth of extras, including several behind-the-scenes features on making the movie and several features on the overall character of Wonder Woman and how the character has evolved over time.

Overall, the movie is great. It has a great blend of action and humor. It does have a message, but it does not get too preachy about it. Gal Gadot does a great job with the character. There was, of course, a lot of consternation when she was cast, especially since she did not fit the mold of Lynda Carter, the only other woman to play the character in live-action. Carter was definitely bigger than Gadot (although Gadot is slightly taller) and in other areas (boob size) that even Gadot joked about. However, Gadot is much more athletic than Lynda Carter, so she brought a lot more to the fight scenes than was ever done in the TV show. The script was good, and all of the actors did a great job with their parts. It is still probably the best movie in the DCEU and is definitely worth watching.